The Red String
by Tzadikim
Summary: They're tied together no matter what lifetime they're in. Reincarnation. HPFFC. A series of vignettes
1. Once Upon a Time

**AN: La, la, la. Quick project because I can.**

**According to several legends and folklore, it's believed that soul mate are linked together by a red string. Each incarnation of them have a similar name to ease confusion.**

**This is for the Reincarnation Challenge on HPFFC. This will have four or five chapters in all.**

**Disclaimer**: Last time I checked I am an American, sarcastic, and fun-sized. Nice try, but I know that I'm not JK Rowling.

**Title**: The Red String

**Word Count**: 1K

**Summary**: They're tied together no matter what lifetime they're in. A series of vignettes

* * *

Medieval Era: Once Upon a Time

* * *

Henry held his bloodied sword up in the air, his arms and legs were shaking with exhaustion and fear. The discarded form of the monster was slowly sinking into the river, the green scales flashing weakly in the dying sunlight. The water soon turned cloudy with red and bits of bone. Henry felt his blood chill when he saw a yellow, scabbed eye blankly staring at him. He set his quivering arms down, dropping the ruby-decorated sword. The blood matched the shade of the jewels, and he vaguely wondered how he was going to explain to the Goblin blacksmith that he stole the sword and a reason for the blood on it. The 'I had to go save a girl', may not work well.

The aforementioned girl was moaning softy. She was sprawled over the bank of the river. The object that enchanted her, a book, was sizzling with venom from the giant snake when it tried to bite down on the black-haired wizard. It was a spectacular fight, and Henry was glad tha he stole the sword when Malfoy stepped on his wand earlier that day. It came in handy when stabbing the monster several times.

Henry was told parts of the story by the villagers. Young Juniper spurned a Malfoy when he wanted her hand, and in anger he swore revenge. When traders came later she had come across a blank book, and soon came the mysterious petrifying. Henry himself was passing through the village and thought he could help. With the aide of Juniper's brother and his intelligent wife, they were able to figure out who was causing it and what controlled the monster.

It was a grand adventure, and all of them couldn't wait for it to be over.

Thus this was all leading to Henry slaying a very large and scary snake. It turned people into stone when they saw its eyes reflected. It was very poisonous. And Henry was very sure that he was now afraid of snakes.

Juniper moaned again and she was slowly stirring. Henry stumbled over to her and roused her awake. "Uh, hello? You—"

Her eyes snapped open and she slapped him.

Ouch.

Henry fell back into the mud and rubbed his cheek. "Oi!"

Juniper struggled to her knees, her vibrant hair fell over her face in wet tangles. "You are not Malfoy." She sounded pleased and weary. She looked around at where she was and made a gasp at seeing the snake submerged in the water. She scrambled away andgroped the ground for her wand that was broken earlier.

"Would you preferred if Malfoy saved your life?" Henry remarked dryly. He stood up and brushed the mud off his tunic. He offered the redhead his hand to help her up. She took his hand and leaning heavily against his side. Now seeing her up close, Henry was alarmed by the deep shadows under her eyes, and the thin sharpness of her face. It looked as though she hasn't eaten nor slept well in a while.

"No," she said softly, blinking rapidly. "I wish him dead."

"You will have plenty of time to have vengeance," Henry said. He picked up the fallen sword and started to use it as a cane. Surprised, he noticed that the blood soaking it was gone. Upon a further inspection, he saw words carved into the blade. It was half-finished, and the glaring sun made it hard to read. Curiouser and curiouser. "How do you feel now, m'lady?"

"I would feel better if I can curse that Malfoy." Her pink lips twitched into a thin line. "I should make his boogies attack him. Would you like to help?"

"Have you thought about resting?"

"That man sought to kill me and others. I will rest later." She turned around to see the book. The acid was spreading, decaying the parchment and the leather that made it. Her eyes went darker. "May I have your sword?"

Henry handed it to her without question.

Juniper hobbled to the book and stabbed it with the sword. She did it twice and then thrice. Satisfied she walked back to Henry and gave him back the sword. "Now I feel better."

They stood in a fragile silence with Juniper clenching her hands at her sides so that she wouldn't cry, and Henry not knowing what to do next. He held her hand and they tried to find their way out of the forest. On their way back to the village, Henry told her how he, her brother and his wife came to fighting everything out. Out-of-contex, it sounded like a brilliant story. It was filled with magic, a broken enchantment, thievery, and saving the pretty girl from a monster. "No one blames you," Henry added later on. "Malfoy will be getting what he deserved."

"What will happen to me, then?" Juniper asked. Her face had gotten pale, making the freckles stand out sharply. "I do not want my family to get in trouble for what I have done."

"You were used," Henry squeezed her hand. "And they are almost done with the antidote."

"So they are now safe." The words had a visible affect in her and it seemed as though a heavy burden was lifted off her shoulders. "What do we do now?"

"I suppose that we find our way out of this forest. It seems that we are lost."


	2. Yuletide

**Lovely thanks to those who faved, reviewed, and alerted this. A note about this chapter is that the first letter of their names and their appearances are the same. Just to clear things up.**

**Thanks again!**

**Disclaimer**: Last time I checked I am an American, sarcastic, and fun-sized. Nice try, but I know that I'm not JK Rowling.

**Title**: Red String

**Word Count**: 1K

**Summary**: They're tied together no matter what lifetime they're in. A series of vignettes

* * *

Victorian Era: Yuletide

* * *

It wasn't the Triwizard Tournament, repeated the professors. It was a friendly competition between the houses. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course, there was great talk beforehand about setting it up again, but with the bitter attitudes with certain forms of nationalism ended all attempts. That didn't make the need for it to die, so the several Board of Governors decided to have their own private versions at their own schools. At Hogwarts, a Seventh Year from each house was chosen to compete in three different events. With that came jealousy, anxiety, and a Yule Ball for tradition's sake.

Gideon wasn't overly fond of dancing nor balls, and opted for staying in his dorm to review Quidditch tactics for a game with friends. He thought that he was being smart with the drama that unfolded with his older brother Don and the smartest witch of her age Hermia. Instead he and their mutual friend got dragged into it either way, and Gideon ended up in clashing dress robes and standing awkwardly in a corner.

There was also mistletoe above his head. And a girl that he really fancied standing under it. Holly was a very pretty witch in his opinion. With her sharp green eyes and impressive duelling abilities, Gideon was often tongue-tied and blushing when near her. He thought of several ways to get himself out of this situation, but the mistletoe refused to let them leave and a Bat-Boogie Curse wouldn't destroy it. He couldn't manually take it down even though he was tall enough. That left them with only one real option.

The bottle-green robes that Holly wore brought out the shade of her eyes that were strange to see without her customary glasses. He wondered how soft her unruly hair was really, or feel of her lips…

"Gideon," Holly's voice brought him out of the nice daydream. "Are you listening?"

The sound of the ball lowered slightly when a new song played next. People danced near them, a few stopping to look and giggle at what was happening to them. Don could be seen sulking at a table as Hermia was being twirled by a surly-looking, duck-footed Slytherin. Gideon's other older brother had already started a bet on when those two would get together. Hopefully, for everyone's sake, it would be soon.

"Yes?" he guessed. He rubbed his palms in circles on the sides of his robes to stop the sweating. She was also nervous, the twin spots of colour on her cheeks told him that much. She looked up at the red berries above their head and looked back down at him.

"How do you feel about this?"

Truthfully? Bloody terrified at the idea of kissing her. This was the girl that he still wrote embarrassing poetry about. This was also the most that they've interacted all month. He had a feeling that there would had been more if girls could play Quidditch, he'd seen her play and she could give him a run for the Seeker position. He licked his suddenly dry lips. "I…I feel…"

"Same," Holly croaked. They quickly met each other in the eye and looked away.

Gideon rocked on the balls of his feet, lightly pushing against the invisible barrier that trapped them. He could feel his familiar blush reaching to his ears and to the roots of his hair. "Ready?"

"I am ready for my first kiss to happen under an embarrassing circumstance in front of everyone." The sarcasm was obvious.

"Fancy that," Gideon admitted in a smaller voice. "This is also my first." They both went very quiet as they said the truth. If either did say anything, then it would have been hard to notice with the surrounding sounds. They inched closer to each other, and eyes darting. Holly's face was suddenly near his, her eyelashes and nose were the longest distance away. He glanced over the shiny stands of hair that escaped her chignon, and the birthmark on her forehead. He then rested his eyes on her slightly parted lips.

"A friend of yours says that there are nargles living in the mistletoe," Holly whispered with the hint of a smile.

"Worth it."

Her mouth was very warm against his. Fiery sparks raced down to the tips of his toes, and much to his surprise she didn't pull back. Instead Holly stood on the tips of her toes and wound her arms around his neck, her fingers brushed at the nape of his neck. He stumbled at the sudden shift of weight and steadied himself by placing his hands at her sides. Gideon was very much lost in the wonderful feeling. A part of him thought that this couldn't be real because it felt too good to be true. Never in his maddest dreams would he…

The need for breath broke them apart. Holly rested her forehead against his, her eyes were very green and large (in fact, they almost reminded him of fresh-pickled toads). Her mouth was a tint redder and all the more enticing. Taking some gulps of shared air, Gideon tried to compose himself for dignity's sake.

Holly smiled lazily and her eyelashes fluttered heavily. "Happy Christmas."

Gideon tilted his head to the side, and very much wanted to do that again. Happy Christmas it was indeed. "I-I think I found the silver lining to this ball."

If they had time then they would have discussed the argument between Don and Hermia. Instead they found a much better way of passing the time.


	3. Confidante

**I AM FREE! FREE AT LAST!**

**Super awesome thanks to the reviews, I highly appreciate it. The 400-plus hits also improve my mood. So, um, tis the season for more reviews, please… **

**Now for something completely different, to quote Monty Python.**

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked I am an American, sarcastic, and fun-sized. Nice try, but I know that I'm not JK Rowling.

**Title**: Red String

**Word Count**:1K

**Summary**: They're tied together no matter what lifetime they're in. A series of vignettes

* * *

Second World War: Confidante

* * *

Jimmy recognised the dark-haired man sitting alone at a table. He had his face buried in his hands, a mop of dark hair that fell in unruly strands hid any signs facial expressions. Jimmy tilted his own head to the side, wondering how he knew the morose figure. No one else in the pub seemed to notice the bloke. He studied the other man's profile and decided to walk over. The redhead stretched his sore arms out from Quidditch practice, wincing at the pops he heard, and stepped closer to the table.

"You okay?" Jimmy asked. The man raised his head from his curled hands and Jimmy was struck behind how green the man's eyes were.

He had a thin, angular face with thin lips and long eyelashes. He slumped back in his seat, scowling. "Just bloody perfect," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Never been better."

Something about that struck a cord in the back of Jimmy's mind. He took pity on the other man, and sat in the seat across from him. "Want to compare about what happened the past week?"

The dark-haired man let out a sardonic laugh. "I believe you may lose.  
Jimmy smiled at that. "I like a good challenge."

The man seemed amused. "I'm Hayden Porter, and my week has been hell."

"Jimmy Wesley, and I can guarantee mines was worst." The two shared looks and Hayden had the hint of a grin on his face. Then Jimmy suddenly remembered where he knew him. "You're the Slytherin in the year above me!" Vague memories of him in the corners of the Duelling Club came back.

Hayden winced and his head lowered. He picked at a torn napkin near his empty plate, and then raised his head to speak dryly. "Aren't you Rhonda's baby brother? Sorry, but the hair gave it away."

Jimmy closed his mouth into a tight line. He hated being associated like that. This was going to be a prickly conversation. "Yeah."

"Damn good she is as an Auror," Hayden continued. "How is she?"

"Getting married to the Ravenclaw that she's been arguing with since First Year."

"Ah," Hayden's eyes fluttered. "Those arguments could clear a room."

Jimmy laughed, recalling a past event during their years at Hogwarts that involved attacking birds and a jealousy attempt. "Too right there."

It was an awkward silence next. Both men looked away, nervous at what to say next. Jimmy tucked a leg under his chin and tapped his fingers on the lower part of his leg. Hayden turned slightly in his seat, his head cupped by his pale hand. Both were waiting for the other to break the silence. They exchanged glances and Jimmy silently dared him with the raise of a red eyebrow.

"It's been a particularly rough week," Hayden said. He ran his hand over his face, sighing. "Job, romance, everything, the bombings in general haven't been much of a help."

Jimmy nodded in agreement. He had problems in all of that recently as well. Mostly in the 'Everything' category. The subcategory was family in that matter. "Say no more. But can I tell you what I do in times like this?"

"Blow something up?"

"No, but a good answer." He signalled a waitress to stop by them and ordered what he usually ate in times of emotional distress. "Chocolate. Lots of it. Do you like Easter Eggs, Porter?"

"I like anything that has chocolate in it." Hayden raked a hand through his hair, smiling slightly. His posture became more relaxed and he reclined in his chair.

"I'm starting to like you more by the second," Jimmy said. "Would you like to complain over that instead?"

"Yes. I would love that."

That's what they did. They shared all sorts of stories over slowly melting chocolate and colourful icing. Jimmy felt at ease with the other man, now starting to enjoy his company very much. The redhead was able to speak in detail about his problems, but it took some prodding to Hayden to open up more. It was nice being able to relate and to talk to someone about his problems. Jimmy found that they were both in the same boat: Recently single, immense stress with work, and worries about their families.

Hayden was dealing with a father who lost his memory due to the Cruciatus Curse by one of Grindlewald's men. Hayden had gone to visit him earlier that week, and was accused by his own father that accused him of being an imposter. At work, like Rhonda as of late, the new Auror Department head was proving to be a sadistic nightmare. A current run-in with his old dorm-mates went terrible sour, and his first serious relationship in a while went downhill. It was a lengthy story, but Jimmy made sure to pay attention to each word.

"Wow," Jimmy said when they were done comparing notes. He rubbed his eyes as he thought of what to say next besides the obvious. "You certainly have it worst off than I do."

Hayden looked very tired and gave a small nod. "Tell me something I don't know?"

Jimmy studied the last fragment of his chocolate. He turned it over in his hands, trying to figure out what he would do if he was in that situation. "Two of my older sisters have this saying, that you can do anything if you have enough nerve. My advice is to spend time with you dad and reestablish the relationship that you used to have. Tell that Umbridge bitch who's boss. And you are better off without that girl to begin with."

Hayden went very quiet and slunk his head into his crossed arms. "Thanks," he muttered in a weak voice. "I really needed to hear that."

The waitress came to give them their bill. Both reached for it, going "Let me" and "No, let me". Jimmy's fingers curled around Hayden's hand and felt a curious jolt as they made contact. Jimmy withdrew first, feeling his face going red. Hayden played with the scrap of parchment. "I can pay."

"But I recommended it in the first place."

"And you helped me. At least let me return the favour."

"Want to split it?" Jimmy reached for his wallet and started counting some money out. His ears were turning red as he realised that if he hadn't offered to split, then he couldn't pay for the dessert at all. Chocolate was too bloody expensive these days. That would have been an embarrassing situation. Once paid they stood by the door, unsure of what to do.

"I usually come by here for a drink in the evenings," Hayden looked shyly at him. "Do you want to meet up again?"


End file.
